Two years after an earthquake in New Zealand destroyed the city of
Christchurch's 132-year old Gothic cathedral its replacement, the
world's first cardboard cathedral, has officially opened.The £2m project was headed by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and has resulted in the creation of a cathedral made from 98 interlocked cardboard tubes with a capacity of 700.
Other innovative designs are helping Christchurch to recover from the 2011 earthquake, which killed 185 people.
On the site of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which was demolished after the earthquake, stands a new pavilion made from more than 3,000 wooden pallets.
But politicians have disagreed with the Church over what to do with what remains of the
former cathedral.
Former minister Philip Burdon and former deputy prime minister Jim Anderton have called for the cathedral to be restored, while Anglican Bishop Victoria Matthews wants the building demolished.
Bishop Matthews said the cathedral would be "deconstructed with the utmost care and respect while at the same time protecting the treasures within its walls".